All Star (song)
| Released = | Format = CD single | Recorded = | Studio = | Venue = | Genre = |power pop }} | Length = 3:21 | Label = Interscope | Writer = Greg Camp | Producer = Eric Valentine | Prev_title = Can't Get Enough of You Baby | Prev_year = 1998 | Next_title = Then the Morning Comes | Next_year = 1999 | Misc = }} }} "All Star" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth. It was released on May 4, 1999, as the second single from their album Astro Lounge, and it is one of the group's most successful songs, peaking at No. 4 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 2 in Canada and No. 4 in Australia. Composition "All Star" is set in the key of F♯ major with a tempo of 104 beats per minute. According to an interview in 2017, songwriter Greg Camp was interested in exploring several layers of meaning with the stripped-down song: the social battle cry, the sports anthem, the fanbase affirmation, the poetic lyricism, the sweeping melody, the inclusion, the artistic music videos, and more. Commercial performance The song reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, it peaked at No. 2 on the RPM Top Singles chart. Outside North America, "All Star" reached No. 4 in Australia and became a top-twenty hit in Finland, Iceland, New Zealand and Scotland. Music video }} The music video (directed by McG) features cameos by William H. Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Janeane Garofalo, Doug Jones, and Dane Cook from the film Mystery Men (1999), which prominently featured the song. In June 2019 the video has been remastered in HD and received subtitles in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. The video has garnered over 250 million views on Smash Mouth's YouTube channel as of November 2019. The video begins with the group of men at a super hero team audition for unusual superheroes as each of them states their names and unusual powers. However, they all don't make the cut for the team. When the man dressed as Elvis is about to introduce himself, Harwell steps in and throws him out. The auditioners become very shocked and impressed and immediately accept him into the club. Then, Harwell begins singing the song while walking down a sidewalk path. After that, he stops by two kids, a boy and girl. The boy gives Harwell the big "L", when the lyrics, "In the shape of an L on her forehead" are sung. Harwell then jumps on top of a limousine as the other band members perform in front of a house. However, a fire breaks out at the house on the top floor that the band is performing at as two ladies scream for help. Then, Harwell notices a dog trapped in the burning house. While the other band members perform, he rushes into the house and saves the dog just in time. The ladies become relieved that the dog is safe. Two girls are standing near a three-wheeled motorcycle as Harwell sings and approaches them. He then takes them for a joyride through the neighborhood. We then see the band perform in a parking garage, while intervals of the limousine and a 1950s car race around the garage. Shortly after, the motorcycle catches up. The old car whizzes by through a construction area, where it crashes into a trailer. The Mystery Men angrily attack the limousine. Thankfully, Harwell saves his bandmates by picking them up on his motorcycle, leaving the two girls angry. When the band arrives back at the neighborhood, they see an overturned school bus on the ground with someone under it as two cheerleaders cheer and dance in the distance. They pull the bus up back on the road and see that the woman is "Miss All Star", who waves to the band. Afterwards, a group of schoolgirls and their teacher, who are on the school bus, wave to the band as well. The scene then transitions to the band performing the final parts of the song in a garage. At the end of the music video, the Mystery Men applaud the band. Usage in media In Mystery Men, "All Star" is played during a scene in which the titular superhero team holds auditions to recruit new members. The final scene of Rat Race (2001) revolves around Smash Mouth performing the song at a charity concert. The song is heavily noted for its use in the opening scene of the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film Shrek during the introduction of the title character. Devotion toward the song has been considered a factor in the emergence of the internet-based ''Shrek'' fandom in the 2010s. In turn, "All Star" returned to prominence that decade as a popular internet meme; the meme primarily consists of comedic remixes and edits of the song and its music video. The upcoming musical All Star: The Best Broadway Musical will re-orchestrate and rearrange the song in a variety of music and dance styles such as the tango, patter song, and "nightmare ballet". "All Star" serves as the motif of internet personality Neil Cicierega's 2014 mashup album Mouth Sounds. Track listings CD1 #"All Star" #"Walkin' On the Star" (Sun E Delight Remix) #"The Fonz" CD2 #"All Star" #"Walkin' On the Sun" #"Can't Get Enough of You Baby" #"Walkin' on the Sun" (Video) Personnel Musicians * Steve Harwell – lead vocals * Greg Camp – guitars, additional keyboards, backing vocals * Paul De Lisle – bass, backing vocals * Michael Urbano – drums Production * Jacquire King – remixing, mixing, recording, Pro-Tools * Eric Valentine – producer, engineer, mixer * Bruce Dickinson – producer, engineer * Porter Seals – producer, engineer Charts and certifications Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications References Further reading * External links * Category:1999 singles Category:Smash Mouth songs Category:Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! songs Category:Interscope Records singles Category:Billboard Adult Top 40 number-one singles Category:Billboard Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) number-one singles Category:Music memes Category:Music videos directed by McG Category:Songs written by Greg Camp Category:Song recordings produced by Eric Valentine Category:Songs from animated films Category:Internet memes introduced in the 2010s Category:1999 songs Category:Compositions in F-sharp major Category:Shrek